There’s a better question to ask this year at Christmas than ‘when are you retiring’. Try this …
And here's my end of year message too
In this edition
Feature: There’s a better question to ask this year at Christmas than ‘when are you retiring’. Try this …
From Bec’s Desk: This is my last Epic Retirement newsletter for the year.
Prime Time: NEW DATA: How much do you need to save for retirement?
Ad - Before we start — a big thanks to our newsletter sponsor this week, Viking
Viking’s Explorer Sale is now on. Enjoy your choice of exclusive offers.
At Viking, we bring that spirit of discovery to life with journeys that connect you to the people, history and stories behind every destination. From Europe’s storied rivers to the Mediterranean and even the Arctic or Antarctica, our itineraries span five oceans, 21 rivers and all seven continents. On board, enjoy serene Scandinavian design, light-filled spaces and intuitive service. With everything you need included, you’re free to focus on the joy of exploration.
Book now and choose from exclusive offers valued up to $5,000 per couple: free flights, business class upgrades or cruise fare savings. Available until sold out on select voyages.
There’s a better question to ask this year at Christmas than ‘when are you retiring’. Try this …
Around Christmas tables, that big question comes up sooner or later. ‘When will you retire?’ It’s rarely asked out of pure curiosity and it can carry a bit of judgement, a bit of comparison, and usually some unspoken anxiety about money, age or timing. I’m not a fan really.
A more interesting question is simpler. ‘What are you looking forward to in January of 2026?’
The answers tell you a lot.
Some people answer this question easily. They talk about a trip, a project, a habit they’ve decided to keep going once the year resets. They don’t sound like they’re waiting for something to start - or worse, their working life to finish before they start. Life already has some shape to it and they’re on the move.
Others pause, then talk about their work. Deadlines, meetings, the comfort of routine returning. For many people, work isn’t just income. It’s structure, identity and a ready-made reason to get out of bed. That matters more to retirement decisions than we usually admit.
Then there are people who don’t really have an answer. January is just the resumption of obligations and running on the wheel of life. Or the driving forward of other people’s lives - their kids, their partner’s. You know what it’s like. Nothing bad, nothing good. Just forward motion.
That response is worth paying attention to. Retirement doesn’t create interests, energy or direction - truly. It tends to expose what’s already there. If time feels thin now, more of it later doesn’t automatically fix that.
This is why I think the lead-up to retirement matters more than the date itself. People who manage the shift well usually haven’t waited for a clean break to think about what they want to do. They’ve already built some things they want to keep doing and some fresh ideas for the year ahead. They’re not relying on grand passions or reinventions, just activities and rhythms that aren’t entirely dependent on work.
Christmas is useful in that sense. It disrupts your routine without committing you to anything. A few weeks of different days, different people, and a different pace can be good for you - and can help you see life a little differently. Some enjoy it. Some can’t wait for normal life to resume. Both reactions are information you can use when considering your year ahead and your retirement setup phase.
January doesn’t need to be filled with ambition. It just needs to include something you’ve chosen, rather than something that’s been handed to you or that would have happened anyway.
So if you’re tempted to ask someone when they’ll retire over Christmas, try the January question instead. And if you can’t answer it yourself, that’s a healthy signal that you might want to get curious and start looking for things to inspire you for the year a
head. And don’t worry - you’re not late for the party - yet! So work through how you want to use your time best in 2026, and think about what you’re looking forward to.
Make it epic - and tell me your answers in the comments.
This is my last Epic Retirement newsletter for the year. And I’m writing one that will go to both our UK and Aussie/Kiwi newsletter readers.
I’m about to head off on a family holiday and trying, with mixed success, to turn the volume down for a proper break. It’s been a big year. I wanted to write something thoughtful, but I’m tired, I haven’t packed, my flight’s in eight hours, and the to-do list is winning. My husband wants me to get off the computer.
So this is the fast, honest and probably blunt version.
A lot of what’s happened this year exists because this community kept nudging, questioning, sharing and saying “go on then”. That, plus some very good people who worked alongside me, has turned into a year I’m proud of.
Working backwards, we launched How to Have an Epic Retirement in the UK this week. It landed at number one on Amazon in Financial Retirement Planning and a few other categories. That matters less for the ranking and more because it shows the ideas about an Epic Retirement travel. The questions people are asking about retirement are remarkably similar, wherever they live. And we’ve got a few good answers.
My UK articles in The Times UK have also kicked off, and I’m now writing a fortnightly retirement column. That’s been a real thrill, and I’m keen for it to be driven by real reader questions and problems. If there’s something you want explored, send it through.
The Australian and New Zealand edition of How to Have an Epic Retirement dropped three weeks ago and went into reprint within two weeks. You bought more copies than my publisher expected, and that’s a very good problem to have.
This year, a lot of people went through the How to Have an Epic Retirement Flagship Course. What’s made that satisfying isn’t the number, but how seriously people engaged with it. You didn’t skim it. You really used it. The feedback blows me away. Thanks for that.
We also launched the HESTA exclusive edition of the course, with the first 1,000 students completing the program. An amazing pilot that got such good feedback! More rounds are coming in February and mid-year 2026, so if you’re with HESTA, keep an eye on your inbox.
The Prime Time podcast finished the year ranked 169 on the Aussie Podcast Ranker. Not bad company when you’re sitting between footy shows, radio giants and comedians.
My columns in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age were read 2.2 million times online this year. That still surprises me, and it reinforces how hungry people are for practical, grown-up conversations about ageing, work and money.
And the Epic Retirement Club Facebook community has grown to 640,000 people. That’s a lot of lived experience in one place.
Finally, the Epic Retirement Tick in Australia has started shifting how some super funds are prioritising retirement. Meaningfully it’s making it easier to see who’s actually lifting their game. Thanks to Chant West for their hard work on this too.
All of that sits on a healthy truth: this work only matters if it helps people make better choices about midlife and retirement related issues and feel more confident about the second half of life.
Thank you for being part of it this year. I’ll be back after the break, hopefully rested, definitely curious, and with plenty more to talk about.
The podcast will continue right through the holidays though - there’s some great episodes in the can - make sure you get the Prime Time Podcast newsletter here.
I’m incredibly grateful for all your time, energy and interest. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. You can see some fun stuff I’m doing over the holidays with my family and to celebrate my 50th birthday with me on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook: facebook.com/becwilsonepic
Insta: instagram.com/epicretirement
Cheers bigears! I’m off on holidays! Make yours epic and I’ll do my best too!
Author, podcast host, columnist, retirement educator, and guest speaker
Lastly - an important callout
The Epic Retirement Flagship Course for Feb 2026 is now 25% off. But only for the first 200 places.
The How to Have an Epic Retirement flagship course kicks off on the 19th February. It’s a practical, Australia-first program designed for people in their 50s and 60s who want to understand how to navigate retirement (the easy way). And we all do the program together (we call it a synchronous program).
It covers the stuff that actually matters: how the systems of retirement really work, how to get money into super, then how to turn your super into income, how to think about spending, tax and the age pension, and how to plan for health, purpose and the long game of ageing in place. There’s no jargon. No scare tactics. No sales pitch for products.
Epic Retirement Varsity-Style T-shirts & Mugs
Retiring can very much feel like a milestone event, a bit like school seniors feel when they’re graduating from school. There’s loads of build up,
So, we’ve curated a range of fun varsity-style t-shirts and mugs you can buy for yourself or gift to someone. They’re print on demand and are available in most countries, print on demand. Pop over to shop.epicretirement.net to order yours! They make great gifts for retiring colleagues too. And there’s 2025 and 2026 editions now available!
NEW DATA: How much do you need to save for retirement?
On this episode, I’m joined by Xavier O’Halloran from Super Consumers Australia to talk about something that matters to every single Australian headed towards retirement: How much you actually need to maintain your lifestyle once you stop working?
Super Consumers Australia has released their updated 2026 Retirement Savings Targets for home owners, and they’re refreshingly grounded in real spending, not marketing or guesswork. These are independent figures, based on what retirees actually spend, and they give you a simple rule of thumb to check if you’re on track.
We break down how much a single homeowner might need versus a couple, how the Age Pension fits into the equation, and why renters face a very different retirement challenge, including brand-new data released just this week.
It’s a clear, calm, jargon-free conversation with no overwhelm, no scare tactics, just practical guidance to help you feel more clear and calm about your money and your future.
And if you’d like to dive deeper, you’ll find the full report from Super Consumers Australia here.
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST HERE: